At Sembawang Park, I saw an uncle doing a most peculiar thing. He was sprinkling water along the sandy shores from a container which looked like it contained orange peels. Observing attentively at the spot were he sprayed, with a swift motion, he dug his fingers into the sand probably observing some movement. And wow..., out came a worm which he passed to his daughter, probably to be used as fishing bait later. Quite amazing, I wonder how the water soaked in orange skins lured the worms out...
For people who have a passion for fishing, please do not throw away unwanted lines and hooks anywhere. This may pose a potential danger to birds which can get entangled or cut by them. See the sad story of the heron killed by such in BESG blog.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Anemone Shrimp
Periclimenes brevicarpalis is commonly known as the glass shrimp, anemone shrimp or the cleaner shrimp. This strikingly beautiful animal has a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones and is known to inhabitat on 14 such species. The ability of anemone shrimps to reside on the anemone without being stung is not due to its exoskeleton, but rather by acclimating themselves coating itself with the mucus secretions of the anemone just like our anemone fish.
The partially transparent body of this shrimp enables it to break out its body outlines; an adaptation known as distruptive coloration, so that it is not easily visible to predators. It also gain protection from its anemone host.
Hope this facts are not too much to digest! Now to lighten things a little.... Do u know the chinese name for anemone is 有没有钱?Just translate it to English and u will know. hahaa
Semakau intertidal walk, 8th March 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Cockatoo @ NUS
Heard the unmistakeable noisy chatter of a cockatoo just as I was preparing to walk back to the lab from Kent Ridge. The Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini) together with the Sulphur-crested cockatoo which have been sighted frequently here are exotic, probably escapees from pet owners (Tanimbar Corellas are under CITES appendix I). From their name, the Tanimbar Corella is native and endemic to the Tanimbar islands in Indonesia.
And so, as I kept photographing the bird, another flew over (above). Just as I inched closer for a perfect shot, three more rushed to get into the limelight. And just so great that my battery died on me at this moment... =.=
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Praying Mantis
Praying mantises are exclusively predators despite their seemingly holy name; "praying" comes from its prayer-like stance due to its modified forelimbs while mantis is a Greek word for prophet.
They are also notoriously known for their sexual cannibalistic behavior, where some female mantises species will decapitate their mate after copulation and devour them. Quite a controversial topic, some said it as male sacrifice to increase the fecundity of the female to increase the survival of their offspring, others said it might just be a form of female rapacity and many other theories which I should not bore u with.
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